Divine hand': US anti-abortionists say your body belongs to Christ'US anti-abortionists and the religious right which has long waited for abortion right overturn, said they see divine hand' in court ruling
by Agence France-Presse
26-06-2022 17:01
in Christian Connect
Diana Villanueva, 53, who is against abortion, discusses her work running Rachel's Vineyard, a retreat inspired by Christian biblical scripture which offers support to women who, like her, regret their abortion, in El Paso, Texas, on 16 June, 2022. When she was 16, Diana Villanueva became pregnant after being raped, and then the man forced her to have an abortion. When she remembers the day that haunted her for decades, this devout Catholic remembers how difficult it was to act against her will. Photo: Robyn Beck / AFP
Diana Villanueva's rapist took her to an abortion clinic when she was just 16 years old and told her to terminate her pregnancy.
--
She wasn't greeted by the crowds of protestors who often gather outside facilities in the United States to try to persuade women to change their minds.
But now, this 53-year-old Catholic wishes she had been because she has been haunted by the termination ever since.
I was afraid that someone would see me because my mom was very involved in the church and I was afraid that somebody from church was going to be there,
she told AFP. But then at the same time, I wish somebody would have been there, because maybe that would have given me the courage to speak out and say: I don't want to do this'.
Villanueva now runs a retreat in her native El Paso, Texas, helping women who, like her, regret their abortion.
--
ALSO READ: G7 opens summit, starts with gold export ban on Russia
US ANTI-ABORTIONISTS Devised by psychologist Theresa Burke and present in dozens of countries, Rachel's Vineyard draws on biblical scripture and is described as a way to promote healing the pain of abortion.
The fact of the matter is that abortion affects you,
she said. It makes you angry. At first you just want to get rid of the problem, so you don't think beyond the problem. You want a solution.
But after you go through what you go through then you ponder what you did. That's when the remorse starts kicking in.
Villanueva discovered Rachel's Vineyard through her church, and her anti-abortion position like that of many Americans who disagree with the practice is heavily colored by her religion.
--
A lot of those ladies say: It's my body, my choice'. It's not your body; your body belongs to Christ.
The religious right has long aimed to have the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade ruling enshrining the right to abortion in the United States overturned.
On Friday, their prayers were answered when a 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court threw out almost 50 years of settled law, allowing individual states to make their own rules including banning abortion in all circumstances.
ALSO READ: Abortion pills to become next battleground in US reproductive fight
Women's rights' Texas has been among those states leading the charge to restrict access to abortions.
A law that came into effect last year bans the procedure when fetal heart activity can be detected usually around six weeks, a time few women are even aware they are pregnant.
El Paso no longer has any clinics offering abortions, but it stands on the front lines of an expanding fight.
Just across the border in New Mexico is the small town of Santa Teresa, the destination for women from all over Texas who want to have a safe, legal abortion in a state that has far more liberal rules.
Even so, elements of the Texas law mean that anyone who helps a woman to get an abortion even the Uber driver who takes her part of the way to the clinic can be held liable.
Mark Cavaliere, director of the Southwest Coalition for Life, which designs anti-abortion programs and campaigns, defends such tools.
Those who perform the procedures are the ones who commit acts of violence against women and children, he says.
According to figures from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that compiles statistics and advocates for abortion rights, 75 percent of women who had an abortion in the United States in 2014 were living below the poverty line or classed as low income.
Cavaliere, a father of five, believes that the Supreme Court's codification of abortion in 1973 undermined women.
Roe vs. Wade put an expectation on women to feel like they have to alter, suppress and destroy the normal healthy functions of their natural body in order to meet definitions of success that are really based on male norms, he said.
We're very hopeful that by overturning [the law], we can actually solve the true issues, really solve women's equality, women's rights.
Southwest Coalition for Life hosts programs such as Her Care Connection that, among other initiatives, offers free ultrasounds in a modern mobile clinic.
The vehicle sometimes parks outside the Women's Reproductive Health Clinic in Santa Teresa in an attempt to convince women seeking an abortion to continue with their pregnancy.
Dozens of people gathered for a fundraiser for the van in El Paso last weekend.
The baby race in which two tots crawled to see who could cross the line first was the highlight for many in attendance.
Jazzmin Hernandez, a 32-year-old teacher who has no children herself, smiled as she watched one baby overtake the other on the final straight.
For her unlike for the majority of Americans, according to polling there are no grey areas.
It doesn't matter how the baby was conceived. Nothing justifies ending a child's life, she said.
I think Texas is setting an example, and hopefully other states will follow suit and abortion will be completely banned.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Frequency, the engine behind many of the world's leading streaming television channels, at NAB 2026 will be launching new Studio services to help content ow...
07/04/2026
Ikegami USA has chosen NAB 2026 in Las Vegas as the launch platform for new additions to its range of broadcast-quality television production equipment. These w...
07/04/2026
April 19, 2026, Las Vegas Kiloview, an innovative provider of AV-over-IP technologies, will showcase its latest broadcast IP solutions at NAB 2026, presenting...
07/04/2026
Bitmovin has announced support for Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) across its playback products using HLS interstitials, enabling more advanced ad-supported s...
07/04/2026
Synamedia is unveiling AI by Quortex at The NAB show, a just-in-time AI plugin framework that applies intelligence only when needed across video processing, dis...
07/04/2026
Cuez will showcase four additions to its cloud-based newsroom, rundown and automation platform at NAB Show 2026 (April 18 22, Las Vegas, Booth N1867):
Cuez ...
07/04/2026
CueScript to Showcase Innovations at NAB that Add Mobility Options, Ease Editing...
07/04/2026
Barix Extends Transport Options for Multi-Engine IP Encoder
Brie Clayton April 7, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB, Barix adds SRT and RIST support to Mult...
07/04/2026
Elite Media Technologies Selects Interra Systems' BATON File-Based QC Soluti...
07/04/2026
Tightrope Media Systems to Debut Cablecast LiveBridge for Simultaneous Streaming...
07/04/2026
Cuez Brings Four New Innovations to NAB 2026: From Story-Centric Newsroom to Ope...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
07/04/2026
Designed for synchronized multi-stream playback, low-latency delivery, and real-time analytics, MATCH introduces a unified viewing experience for sports broadca...
07/04/2026
Berklee Students to Honor George Martin with Performance of Original Scores The orchestra, led by associate professor Xander Rovang, will perform several work...
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Like the immortal lives of vampires, some stories never really end. That's t...
06/04/2026
As podcasting continues to evolve, growth increasingly means building beyond aud...
06/04/2026
Multiband dynamics plug-in enhanced
California-based developer FSK Audio have released a significant update for their innovative multiband dynamics processo...
06/04/2026
Share official & user-created full-rig presets
IK Multimedia's latest TONEX update makes it possible for users of the popular amp and effects modelling ...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
Wayne, N.J., April 6th, 2026 Phantom High-Speed announces the release of PCC 4...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
05/04/2026
Tackles all reported bugs!
SoundBridge have just announced the launch of a new update that introduces a couple of minor changes to their remote collaboratio...
Divine hand': US anti-abortionists say your body belongs to Christ'US anti-abortionists and the religious right which has long waited for abortion right overturn, said they see divine hand' in court ruling
